US Teacher 'Shot Dead' In Yemen's Second City Of Taiz

An American language teacher has been shot dead by gunmen in Yemen's second city of Taiz, officials say.

An American language teacher has been shot dead by gunmen in Yemen's second city of Taiz, officials say.

He was deputy director of a Swedish language centre in the city, a security official told the AFP news agency.

The teacher was driving his car when he was fired on by gunmen on motorbike, officials said.

Yemen had experienced nearly a year of unrest before President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down, at the end of last year, after 33 years in power.

His vice-president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, took office last month.

The unrest has enabled militant groups linked to al-Qaeda to gain footholds in provinces in the south of the country.

Taiz, some 270km (173 miles) south-west of the capital Sanaa, has been a major centre of opposition to Mr Saleh's leadership, but has not experienced the same level of militant activity as other parts of the south.

A local police source told Reuters news agency that militants linked to al-Qaeda were thought to have carried out the attack.

But Hamoud al-Sufi, governor of Taiz province, told the Associated Press it was not clear who the killers were, adding that an investigation was under way.